Lois Reichert of Reichert’s Dairy Air, a licensed micro-dairy south of Knoxville has won top prizes from the American Cheese Society, which held its National Conference in Des Moines last week.
Reichert’s cheese won a first in category for the Torta Estrada variety and 2nd in feta cheese. Reichert focuses on soft cheeses that her herd of 20 goats are best for producing. Reichert says the softness of the cheeses is due to the chemical makeup of goat milk proteins. Another Marion County cheese maker, Frisian Farms of Leighton placed 3rd in the smoked cheese category for their smoked Gouda.